Hi again! This is Kurumi! This time, I would like to recommend a cafe called Tautona Coffee Akarenga in Oita Prefecture. Oita Prefecture is located in the north part of the Kyushu region, and it is famous for Onsen (“hot springs”) such as Beppu Onsen and Yufuin Onsen. I would recommend people who are visiting Fukuoka Prefecture, and have a few spare days, also visit Oita Prefecture too! This cafe is located close to the Oita Station which is the center of Oita Prefecture (five mins on foot from the station to the cafe). There are a few points I would like to recommend about this cafe.
Google Maps
I really like the atmosphere of the cafe. It is a very open space and relaxing. They have a welcoming atmosphere for everyone including customers with young children. I visited there once with my toddler, and he was a bit fussy, but the waiters there were really friendly. The place is spacious, so people who are with a wheelchair or a buggy are also easy to enter. Their front entrance has stairs, but their side entrance has a wheelchair ramp too.
They have two types of seats; counter seats and sofa seats. Their counter seats have power sockets, but the sofa seats don’t. So, if you want to charge your phone, you should use the counter seats. They also have free Wi-Fi available!
This cafe is specialized in coffee beans so their coffee is exquisite. They have a variety of coffee so it would be fun for coffee lovers. However, what I love about this cafe is that they have quite a few choices for non-coffee drinkers too! I had their chocolate shake and berry smoothie before, and they were really tasty. They have a food menu too such as cake and toast. I have not tried it yet, but they do have shaved ice too during the summer season. The coffee menu includes English translations, but non-coffee drinks and food items do not. The menu has some photos of the food items but no details about the non-coffee drinks, so if you’re unfamiliar with the Japanese menu, you may need to ask the staff for assistance.
You can not book the cafe, but even if you cannot find seats there, it is still worth going because there is a nice souvenir shop next to the cafe. The souvenir shop is called Oita Made Shop and they sell souvenirs related to Oita Prefecture. Visiting the cafe and the souvenir shop together is my routine when I visit Oita. This shop sells a wide range of souvenirs; bulk souvenirs such as sweets and tea and traditional crafts such as tableware and lampshade. I’m pretty sure you will find something interesting.
During your travel, having a list of convenient cafes where you can have a rest, charge your phones and use free Wi-Fi to search online becomes quite important. Hope this information is helpful for people who are visiting Oita Prefecture!